Related Items

Real Estate For Sale

WHEN it came to saving his mate, Mitch Kerlin didn't even have to think twice.

Mitch, 11, and his friend Jordan McConnell, 12, were having fun in the Kerlin family's Caboolture backyard swimming pool last Sunday night when Jordan attempted a backflip, lost his footing and hit the water awkwardly.

Realising his friend was in trouble and without even thinking about it Mitch lifted him out of the water, put him on the edge of the pool and yelled out for help from their parents just metres away.

It's a move that ultimately saved his friend's life, but Mitch remains quite humble about the situation.

"He hit the water and I realised he wasn't moving so I lifted him up and he was shaking so I put him on the edge of the pool," Mitch said. "I screamed out for help and then an ambulance was called and it went from there.

"Jordan was in trouble so I knew I just had to get him out of the water."

For Jordan, the whole event still feels like a blur.

"I remember hitting the water and not being able to move and then I woke up on the ground," he said. "It was a bit scary."

Jordan spent a night in hospital but was back home on Christmas Eve feeling a little worse for wear with some bruising and a headache.

For the boys' parents, who were celebrating Christmas and watching as the kids played in the pool, the incident still feels surreal.

"We were told it could have been worse and time has settled since it happened but that doesn't stop you thinking about the what if factor," Jordan's mum Tracey said.

"We were watching the kids the whole time. We saw it happen and just didn't realise how serious it was until Mitch yelled out. It goes to show how easily these things happen.''